Alfreton Town 0-0 Walsall: Non-league side earn FA Cup second-round replay after battling draw

Alfreton Town held League Two Walsall to a battling stalemate to earn an FA Cup second-round replay at Bescot Stadium next week.

The National League North part-timers are 38 league places below the Saddlers, but their direct approach and the prodigious long throw of midfielder Adam Lund made it an uncomfortable night at North Street for the Black Country side.

The non-league side survived a contentious early refereeing decision as Ryan Stirk's inswinging corner eluded goalkeeper George Willis to find the top corner, only for official Sam Allison to rule out the 'goal' for what seemed to be minimal contact on Willis by Walsall striker Freddie Draper.

Walsall went into the game, rearranged after an icy pitch forced a postponement six minutes before kick-off on Saturday, having lost three of their past four to slip towards the League Two relegation zone, and they failed to make their superior fitness and full-time status count.

• Relive Alfreton's battling draw against Walsall

Alfreton themselves have hit a rocky patch in their season, with no wins in their past four matches, but with the majority of the bumper 3,000 crowd behind them they gave a good account of themselves.

Willis was in the thick of it again a few minutes after his disallowed goal let-off, this time with a superb save as Draper burst clear and shot across him, aiming for the far corner.

Billy Heath's Reds, however, matched them blow for blow as Donervon Daniels hooked the ball to safety at the far post after another dangerous Lund throw, and then defender Shaun Brisley stole forward to get on the end of Dwayne Wiley's cross only to send it straight at Walsall goalkeeper Jackson Smith.

Willis was the home side's hero again when Stirk met David Okagbue's cross, the goalkeeper saving at point-blank range before his defence smuggled the ball to safety.

Walsall were expected to make their full-time conditioning tell as the game wore on, but they were wasteful as Isaac Hutchinson landed their best chance in the garden of a house behind the Alfreton goal, Willis produced another fine save to deny the same player, and defender Priestly Farquharson looped a lazy shot wide of the post.

It was increasingly Lund's booming long throws that looked most likely to break the deadlock, but with the Walsall defence standing firm, the only real chance fell to Harry Perritt at the far post, with Smith getting his body in the way of the Alfreton man's shot.

Alfreton manager Billy Heath told BBC Radio Derby:

"It was a close game, both teams had certain chances, but I thought we edged it. We had a bit more goalmouth action, our chances were a bit clearer.

"We're disappointed with that, but these players were magnificent. The first ten minutes we looked a bit edgy and made a few wrong choices, but after that it was game on and we gave as good as we got.

"We have to remind ourselves that these players were at work today. There was an accident on the M18 and I was sat in it, we had a car of players sat in it - what they've done tonight is fantastic.

"We get very little credit in our league but we have really good individuals with good character and we're still in the tie.

"We won't be going there with a whimper, we still think we can win the tie. It will be even more difficult than tonight but we believe we have a chance."

Walsall manager Mat Sadler told BBC Radio WM:

"It was a very competitive cup tie. We knew what was coming with regard to the long throw - it's a hell of a weapon, and once we worked that out and worked out the distances from the first ball from goal-kicks, it all settled into us looking like the team that were going to get the goal.

"I don't know why that goal was disallowed to begin with. Obviously that would have settled things down but it wasn't to be.

"I don't think anyone really understood it, and the fourth official is the one who has given it, who was standing 70 yards away from where it was. It was just a ball that deceived the goalkeeper but I'm not going to complain about it, we had plenty of chances to see the game out.

"In the good moments we had when we were controlling the game and putting good passes together we didn't quite have that little bit at the end, for it to come off a leg or a hip or a knee, or whatever. We snatched at a couple of chances, but it will come."